MORE than a century and a half of the industry on which Teesside was built came to an end as the last litres of molten metal trickled out of Corus’s blast furnace at Redcar.

February 19, 2010, is a date that will forever be etched on to Teesside’s collective conscience.

On a freezing cold, bleak Friday, a flood of supporters and well-wishers united at the gates of Corus to show dignified support and reflect on the mothballing of the last of 100 blast furnaces which once lined the Tees.

Peter Hobson, 47, from Middlesbrough has worked in the steel industry for 31 years.

His job in the Beam Mill is safe for now, but the married dad of four, from Middlesbrough, said: “It’s like going to a funeral. These are all my pals. It’s just a nightmare. This is bigger than just the steel industry. It’s about the effect on the whole area. All the shops, cafes and people with other businesses. It’s massive.”

Steelworker Darren Stapleton, 37, and wife Sally, 39, sported Save Our Steel T-shirts and black armbands as men of steel came out from the site, still wearing their overalls and hard hats.

He said: “It’s been very hard. We are still in a bit of shock. The redundancy payment won’t last very long. It will have such a knock-on effect on the area that it will become a ghost town.”

As grandparents who have had steel in their blood for generations cradled toddlers and teenagers joined hardworking mums and dads waving flags and banners, Chris Watson, 47, added: “People round here know how much it means to the area.”

Tony Bunn, 49, from Eston, said: “I’m looking round and I know a lot of the lads and their families. It’s absolutely devastating.”

Chris Williamson, a local authority worker, said: “The steel industry on Teesside has very much been a community industry like the coal industry was in Durham. It’s sad this country is hurting its industries that are built so much on local community.”

Little wonder then that everyone was united in sombre mood, displaying black armbands as the Marske and District Silver Prize Band sounded The Last Post.

Yet despite the obvious grief and depression which hung in the air as a whole community gathered to witness the sad demise of the one remaining Teesside blast furnace - itself the last man, standing proud and strong as a symbol of a once Herculean industry - the collective fighting spirit of Teesside people was also felt in abundance.

As the accomplished musician’s final note faded, multi-union chairman Geoff Waterfield’s call for “three cheers for Teesside” was met with loud and proud “hip hip hoorays” through tears.

John Wakelin, 54, a mechanical fitter and trade union rep, from South Bank, vowed: “The furnace is being mothballed but we are not going to go out without a fight.”

The Redcar blast furnace’s 30th birthday celebration in October was a washout, as steelworkers continued to battle for their jobs, and livelihoods against a backdrop of an unprecedented credit crunch, largely blamed on global financial institutions which prompted Government bank bailouts.

Anger that a similar bailout for the steel industry was not forthcoming was still apparent among steelworkers yesterday, many of whom feel they are among those across the country who are picking up the pieces of the extinction of British manufacturing, while bank bosses and politicians profit.

Retired Mr Johnson, 65, from Middlesbrough, held a placard which read: “This Government helped the banks, the car makers, themselves to public money why not help Corus?”

Another echoed Gladstone’s 1862 speech, when he called Middlesbrough “the infant Hercules,” as the fledgling iron and steel industry brought new prosperity to Teesside.

Others directed their anger at Corus and its Indian owner Tata Steel with banners reading: “Conus not Corus” and “Indian takeaway.”

Mr Johnson said: “The community have come out to support one another. The Government should have supported them. It must be cheaper to keep them working than on the dole.”

Dad-of-three Steve Mitchell, 47, a blast furnace worker from Linthorpe, added: “I would like the Government to come in - and hopefully they still can - to give us some money to keep the place going.

“We had Mandelson and Gordon Brown, the full Cabinet sat on their backsides in Durham yesterday, why weren’t they here to help us?”

Tony Bunn added: “It should never have come to this. The Government should have got here more quickly.

“They have waited until the last day. I don’t see what the burning desire to get rid of Teesside Cast Products is. We know there are orders out there - we’ve even got people phoning up today requiring the steel we make.”

Which is why many of the workers are hopeful a buyer will still come forward for the mothballed plant.

Steve Mitchell said: “We have got to keep that bit of hope for the town. It will affect families, shops, everything.

“I’ve been here since I was 16 years old. I’ve worked here 31 years and I’ve done nothing else. It hasn’t really hit me yet and I haven’t really thought about what I’ll do next. Hopefully, we’ve got a future and it will be my job to put this furnace back on. I would want to be part of that team.”

Tony Bunn said there were “whole families” whose lives were built on working in the steel industry. He said: “I left school on a Friday and started in the steel industry on a Monday - so did my father, uncles and brothers.”

Redcar MP Vera Baird, was emotional and excused herself for a moment to wipe away tears as she told how she had gone along to show “solidarity” with the workers.

She said: “I feel dreadful. It’s quite hard not to be upset. It’s horrible for the people who are losing their jobs.

“However, in my eyes, it will be no more difficult to negotiate a purchase when it’s mothballed than it was when it was working. The fight goes on.”

She admitted she knew “people blame the Government” but said she “wanted everyone to know we are doing what we can”.

“I’m still here and I’m staying,” she said.

“I will do everything I can to press and hurry things along. What it’s about now is a business deal being done as quickly as possible.

“I’m going to watch as closely as I can because I don’t trust Corus.”

Former steelworker and leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council George Dunning said it had been a very sad day, but praised the turnout after the gathering was organised at short notice. He said: “It says a lot about the strength of feeling people have about the steel industry and their heritage.

“The people of Teesside are passionate about steel and I think they have shown that today.”